The low cost of data storage hardware has led to the collection of large volumes of data. Merchants, for example, generate and collect large volumes of data during the course of their business. To compete effectively, it is necessary for a merchant to be able to identify and use information hidden in the collected data. This data could include shop floor sales, and where the merchant operates a website, the use that is made of a website may also be collected. The task of identifying this hidden information has proved very difficult for merchants.
Traditionally, analysis of data has been achieved by running a query on a set of data records stored in a database. The merchant or other party first creates a hypothesis, converts this hypothesis to a query, runs the query on the database, and interprets the results obtained with respect to the original hypothesis. One disadvantage of this verification-driven hypothesis approach is that the merchant must form the desired hypothesis in advance.
Our patent specification WO 00/77682 to Compudigm International Limited entitled “Data visualization system and method” describes a system and method for presenting data in an easily interpreted and intuitive manner by displaying a contoured representation of data superimposed on a graphical spatial representation of the premises of a merchant or other party.
It would be particularly advantageous to provide a system which enables a user greater flexibility in selecting and customizing contoured representations to be displayed.